Apple Pie

Apple Pie is a 10-part 16mm film project that began some 14 billion years ago at the dawn of our universe. More recently it is a project I have personally been extensively developing over the last the last year.

Each film part is it's own independent inquiry into one of the 10 major celestial bodies of our Solar System, each as characteristically unique yet as operationally relative to each other as the planets of our solar system themselves.

Whether scientific - cultural - psychological - mythic - physiological - practical or conceptual in nature, no stone is left un-turned on the pathway of inquiry that leads towards the conclusions that we seek. Albeit conclusions equally satisfied with being directly informed and relative to scientific knowledge and practice as they are at other times with being of a completely different nature entirely.

It's also a film that's to short, to long and just to thoroughly weird to be a "Film" type film. More a short ugly sibling kinda film that's going to grow up to be smarter, weirder, cooler and sexier than it's older, expensive, conservative and boring elder sibling films.

And now, after a year of planning, we about to start shooting...

Our boxes of 16mm celluloid film stock arrived in the mail from Germany the other day and after a busy month of furiously preparing costumes, locations, cast, technical logistics, equipment and sandwiches we are beginning shooting. Tomorrow as it happens...

Then, over the next 2 months we'll shoot the remaining 8 parts in locations across Auckland, New Zealand and then 3 parts in the Pacific Ocean nation of Samoa.

All with a stellar team including artist / dancer Ioane Papali'i (head soloist of MAU dance company), Cinematographer Ian Powell, the artist / choreographer Cat Ruka and a further collection of 20-30 other cast, dancers, costumers, musicians and crew

And then, but the end of the year, the journey will be complete and ready to hand over to the world.

I can't say who yet, but I can say that this project has already garnished the attention of some pretty fly peops around the world and I'm feeling pretty confident it's going to have a pretty sweet life out there.

It's by far the most ambitious, challenging and exciting project I've developed to date. Traipsing the Amazon for months searching for sounds was a walk in the park comparatively. But in general I'm feeling good - I mean I'm feeling crazy and tense as we are about to embark on our maiden shoot - and the most challenging of the 10 parts as well - but still, I'm feeling pretty good.

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Practically speaking now, this is essentially a $60,000 production or more. Not a lot by film standards. But films are expensive; especially when actually shot on real celluloid film. The arts council, Creative New Zealand, very generously granted the project $30,000, pivotally upgrading the project from pipe dream to reality (thank you CNZ!). With that, some compromises, exceptionally adept re-budgeting and the generosity of some fine friends, I have managed to "square the circle" and produce this thing for something closer to $30g without toooo much determent to the original creative vision.

Saying this we are still slightly short of what we really need to ensure this project is the totally kick ass realisation of our visions we so strongly envisioned realising.

So, we've made this campaign to search out there for our Cosmic Nightingale/s, those who want to help make sure our costumes don't burst because we couldn't afford the thread� those who want to raise a toast with us a few months time to celebrate being a part of making it all happen.

If that sounds like you, or someone else you know, you know what to do from here�

Thank you for reading and considering

peace

Sam Hamilton

"if you wish to make Apple Pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe" - Carl Sagan